Annual Report 2010

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Annual Report 2010 Wales Higher Education Libraries Forum Annual Report 2010 - 2011 (Wales Higher Education Libraries Forum) is a collaborative group of all the university and higher education libraries in Wales, together with the National Library of Wales. It is chaired by the Librarian of the National Library of Wales and its members include Directors of Information Services and Heads of Library Services. The purpose of WHELF is to promote library and information services collaboration, to encourage the exchange of ideas, to provide a forum for mutual support and to help facilitate new initiatives in library and information service provision. WHELF actively promotes the work of higher education libraries in Wales and provides a focus for the development of new ideas and services. Libraries Aberystwyth University Bangor University Cardiff University Glyndŵr University National Library of Wales The Open University in Wales Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Swansea Metropolitan University Swansea University University of Glamorgan University of Wales University of Wales, Newport University of Wales Institute, Cardiff University of Wales Trinity Saint David 1 Contents Chair’s Introduction 3 The Year in Brief 4 Collaboration and Partnership 6 Welsh Repository Network 10 Digitisation 12 Continuing Professional Development 14 WHELF: Business and People 16 Consultations 18 Representation 19 New Social Learning Space at the Main Arts Library, Bangor University 2 Chair’s Introduction The American film producer Sam Goldwyn is said to have asked, during the making of The Last Supper, ‘Why only twelve apostles?’ When told that was the original number he replied, ‘Well, go out and get thousands!’ WHELF’s aim is to achieve something similar: fourteen people from fourteen institutions attempt to multiply themselves – to produce between them far more for library users than they could achieve by themselves. This year’s report, covering the period August 2010 to July 2011, gives more evidence of how the happy cooperation between Welsh academic libraries can achieve impressive results for students, staff and others, at a time of unprecedented uncertainty and financial strain. Sharing information resources has always been one of WHELF’s ambitions, but the conclusion of a deal with Oxford University Press on electronic periodicals is a big step forward for researchers in Wales, and opens the way to similar deals with other major publishers in future. Similarly, helping students to discriminate in their use of information has long been a concern of librarians, but the new Welsh Information Literacy Project, admired throughout the UK and beyond, has done pioneering work on integrating such skills in teaching and learning. A third example is digitisation, where again it is possible to achieve far more collaboratively on an all-Wales scale than would be conceivable through individual, competing activity. Some of our activities and members were showcased in the annual SCONUL Conference, held this year in Cardiff: a reminder that WHELF as a consortium is a model admired throughout the UK and Ireland. What is not so obvious to outsiders, and what marks it out from most similar groups, is that it is also one of the friendliest and most supportive of professional consortia, its spiritual home, Gregynog, a perfect setting for sharing experience and wisdom. It is a constant pleasure for me to work with such talented colleagues – and no surprise to find that two WHELF members were appointed during the years to senior positions within their universities. Andrew Green National Library of Wales Representatives from the Library of Chongquing during their visit to the NLW to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between both libraries (5 August 2011) 3 The Year in Brief In The Future Shape of Higher to Wales for the first time, to benefit Education in Wales HEFCW sets out businesses and universities. Based at very clear recommendations for the Swansea and Cardiff Universities, it reconfiguration of the higher education will bring a supercomputing capacity sector in Wales. WHELF’s response and network of a scale not previously referred to innovative work in libraries attempted anywhere else in the UK or which clearly demonstrates the Europe. “collaborative culture – such as that embraced by institutions in Wales” CyMAL: Museums Archives Libraries which JISC has previously identified. Wales started work on its new strategy Plans to merge Welsh universities to for the next three years: Libraries cut the total number of institutions Inspire: draft strategic development from ten to six have been backed by the framework for Welsh libraries 2012-15. Education Minister Leighton Andrews. CyMAL argue that public, education, and workplace libraries are at the heart of Two new initiatives this year offer a their communities. The very reason for different approach to the provision of their existence is to inspire and assist education in Wales. The University of people to make a positive difference Wales Trinity Saint David and its further to their lives. WHELF has taken an education partners are creating “a active part in the consultations and dual sector university” to respond to looks forward to working in partnership the educational, social and economic with CyMAL to deliver on a number of needs of the region. The financial priorities. benefits include shared library services. The Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol is a new national institution that will play a key role in planning, supporting and developing Welsh medium education and scholarship at universities in Wales. WHELF supports the aim of the Coleg to develop effective collaborative partnerships. The Welsh Government has pledged funding for a £400m university science campus in Swansea. This year also saw the launch of High Performance Computing in South Wales. HPC Wales brings state of the art computing technology, infrastructure and facilities Award won by Cardiff University’s Trevithick Library in the SCONUL Library Design Awards 4 Academic libraries in Wales continued At the start of the academic year to refurbish their buildings and improve Cardiff University launched its new their facilities to ensure that they gave ‘Ask a Librarian live’ pilot, an instant students the very best experience messaging service that connected users during the course of their studies. with a member of Library staff in one Examples included a new Research of the University’s 16 libraries. The Reserve and collaborative learning National Library of Wales launched its spaces at Bangor University and own Instant Chat service in July. Both additional study spaces at Swansea were evidence that libraries continue to University. In March, broadcaster move with the times and test how new Huw Edwards launched Hoffi Coffi, technology can help their users. Swansea University’s Welsh library cafe. The Royal Welsh College of Music At various conferences in Wales this year, we heard about the early findings of the Library Impact Data Project with interest. We now have the answer to the question: Is there a statistically significant correlation across a number of universities between library activity data and student attainment? The answer is YES! Hoffi Coffi, Swansea University’s Welsh library cafe, was officially launched by journalist and broadcaster In July this year the National Library of Huw Edwards. Wales celebrated the centenary of the and Drama opened its dramatic new laying of the foundation stone of its buildings on 23rd June. first building. “The Library was founded on the back of a mass subscription When Cardiff University’s Trevithick campaign waged by the Welsh people Library won a design award from over a century ago. In that respect it the Society of College National and is unique among the national libraries University Libraries (SCONUL), Ann of the world. We are now asking the Rossiter, Executive Director at SCONUL, Welsh people to show their continued said: “Libraries form an important part support for the Library and affirm that of a university’s offer and can be the the building and its collections will serve difference between high and low levels the people for the next hundred years,” of student satisfaction.” said Librarian, Andrew Green. At an event to celebrate a programme of upgrading and refurbishment in Cardiff University’s libraries, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Elizabeth Treasure, commented “We are seeing that students are wanting to use library services, right across the UK. Staff and students are wanting more and different spaces – environments which we need to create to meet these differing needs.” Celebrating the centenary of the laying of the Library’s foundation stone, by forming a human chain around the building (15 July 2011) 5 Collaboration & Partnership WHELF Sharing Library Services Programme Sharing services and systems has been an area of increasing interest across WHELF organisations for a number of years and WHELF has a long history of implementing successful collaborative initiatives e.g. the WHEEL, WALIA, CROESO schemes. Sharing a library management system is seen as a potential area to drive further collaboration and is a key milestone of the ‘Shared Services’ strand of the WHELF Development Plan and will form a key part of the WHELF Action Plan 2011-13. An initial feasibility study will be funded by CyMAL. Sharing Services and pursuing efficiency through greater collaboration is also a strategic priority that has been handed down to Welsh HE institutions from HEFCW as part of the “Reconfiguration and Collaboration”
Recommended publications
  • Election Cycle 2015/16 Guidance Notes for Proposers and Candidates
    Election to Fellowship | Election Cycle 2015/16 Guidance Notes for Proposers and Candidates Proposers and Candidates are advised that: 1. The Candidate must be nominated by TWO Fellows: a Lead Proposer and a Seconding Proposer. A list of current Fellows is appended. 2. In order to help correct the under-representation of women in the Fellowship, Fellows are permitted to act as the Lead Proposer for three NEW candidates only each election cycle. However, the nomination of female candidates is exempt from this restriction. 3. All nominations must include: a completed Summary Statement of Recommendation (to include the Candidate’s name, the text of the Statement, the Lead Proposer’s name and signature, and the name of the Seconding Proposer; a completed Summary Curriculum Vitae for the Candidate (to be signed by both the Candidate and the Lead Proposer); and one completed Seconding Proposer Form. 4. These, together with Referees’ reports (see paragraph 12, below), are the only documents that will be used by the Society in considering the nomination. No unsolicited additional materials, references or letters of support will be accepted as part of the nomination. It is therefore imperative that all the relevant sections of the documents are completed as fully as possible. 5. It is the overall responsibility of the Lead Proposer to formulate and present the case for election and to collate all of the relevant forms for submission to the Society. The Lead Proposer must complete the Summary Statement of Recommendation and the Summary Curriculum Vitae; the Seconding Proposer is responsible for completing a Seconding Proposer’s Form and sending it to the Lead Proposer in electronic form (WORD, pdf or scanned).
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2012 - 2013
    Annual Report 2012 - 2013 Wales Higher Education Libraries Forum WHELF (Wales Higher Education Libraries Forum) is a collaborative group of all the higher education libraries in Wales, together with the National Library of Wales and the Open University. It is chaired by the Chief Executive and Librarian of the National Library of Wales and its members include Directors of Information Services and Heads of Library Services. WHELF actively promotes the work of higher education libraries in Wales and provides a focus for the development of new ideas and services. WHELF’s mission is to promote collaboration in library and information services, seek cost benefits for shared and consortial services, encourage the exchange of ideas, provide a forum for mutual support and help facilitate new initiatives in library, archives and information service provision. Benefits of WHELF • Raises the profile and value of services and developments in Welsh HE library, archives and information services in our own institutions, in Wales and beyond; • Influences policy makers and funders on matters of shared interest; • Provides cost benefits with regard to shared services, collaborative deals and service developments; • Implements collaborative services and developments for the mutual benefit of member institutions and their users; • Works with other organisations, sectors and domains in support of the development of a cooperative library network in Wales and the UK; • Builds on the collaboration, partnership and advocacy role that WHELF has within Wales and
    [Show full text]
  • Online Digital Learning Working Group – Written Statement TITLE and Terms of Reference
    WRITTEN STATEMENT BY THE WELSH GOVERNMENT Online Digital Learning Working Group – Written Statement TITLE and Terms of Reference DATE 28 February 2013 BY Leighton Andrews, Minister for Education and Skills I announced to the Higher Education Leadership Foundation in December last year that I intended to establish a working group to examine the potential for online digital learning and how the Welsh Government can support the higher education sector in this growing field. I am delighted that Andrew Green, National Librarian of Wales, has agreed to chair the working group. Andrew Green has been the Librarian of the National Library of Wales since1998. His previous career was spent in universities in Wales and England, and for many years he served on the Council of Aberystwyth University. In 2011-12 he was a member of the Digital Classroom Teaching Task and Finish Group that recommended the establishment of 'Hwb', the all-Wales learning platform for schools and colleges. Other members will be: - Dr Dafydd Trystan Registrar of Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Dr Dafydd Trystan is Registrar of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. He has led on-line learning projects in the Social Sciences on behalf of the Higher Education Academy and is actively involved with the development of Y Porth, the Coleg Cymraeg’s e-learning portal which hosts Welsh-medium university modules and open-access material to enhance learning through technology. Dr Trystan also chairs a Cycle Training Social Enterprise, Cycle Training Wales; and is a board member of TooGoodToWaste and Sustrans Cymru. - Dr Bela Arora Newport Graduate School Dr Bela Arora is an academic and manager in higher education with experience of lecturing, research and policy development in some of the UK's top higher education institutions.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2013-14
    Annual Report 2 013/14 www.colegcymraeg.ac.uk @ColegCymraeg Contents A word from the Chair 03 A word from the Chair In April 2014, I had the privilege of succeeding Professor Merfyn Jones as Chair of the Andrew Green Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol’s Board of Directors. We are grateful to Merfyn for leading Chair of the Board the Coleg during its crucial early days, and ensuring its establishment within higher 04 A word from the Chief Executive education and beyond. For me, the first few months in post has highlighted the breadth Dr Ioan Matthews of the Coleg’s activities: appointing and training lecturers, marketing Welsh medium 08 Governance courses, supporting the branches in the universities, producing teaching resources and 12 Academic Planning publishing research materials, and much more besides. I cannot imagine how all this 15 Students could be achieved without the Coleg. 17 Skills for the workplace 20 The International Conference Naturally, the Coleg’s main objective during its initial period was to increase the number 22 Teaching and Research of Welsh medium lecturers. By the end of the calendar year, nearly a hundred first-class 26 Partnerships lecturers had been appointed, across the vast majority of disciplines. The next step is to 30 Promoting Welsh medium Andrew Green build upon this new provision: the Coleg and the universities are actively promoting the higher education Chair of the Board new opportunities to prospective students in our schools and further education colleges. 32 Appendix 1-7 The latest statistics show that this work is already bearing fruit, as increased numbers choose to study through the medium of Welsh.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2015/16
    ANNUAL REPORT 2015/16 www.colegcymraeg.ac.uk @ColegCymraeg 3 Looking to the future by the Chair of the Board, Andrew Green 4 A word from the Chief Executive 8 Coleg investment in the universities 9 Increased number of students studying through the medium of Welsh 10 Developing a bilingual workforce 12 Academic Staffing Scheme 14 Coleg Scholarships 16 Coleg Projects 18 The past year 20 Appendices 1– 8 2 Annual Report 2015/16 ...the outlook is clearer and the future is full of hope. We will be able to continue to plan for the future. After five years of finding and staff to realize our plans its place in the post-16 and to motivate students and Looking to education system in Wales, prospective students. This the Coleg Cymraeg can now is the model that has borne the future by look forward with confidence fruit to date; it is a model to continuing the important that has the potential to work work of establishing the Welsh effectively outside higher the Chair of language as a natural medium education too. in universities. It is important to realize that the the Board For more than a year the resources flowing through the higher education sector in Coleg since 2011 represent a Andrew Wales faced considerable long-term investment. While uncertainty while waiting for it is important of course that the recommendations of Sir we meet the targets set for us Green Ian Diamond’s Commission by Government, we should on student finance and higher remember that our decisions education funding in Wales.
    [Show full text]
  • Towards a Digital Land of Song: a Digital Approach to the Archival Record of Welsh Traditional Music, Its Performance and Its Reception
    Open Research Online The Open University’s repository of research publications and other research outputs Towards a Digital Land of Song: A Digital Approach to the Archival Record of Welsh Traditional Music, its Performance and its Reception Thesis How to cite: Cusworth, Andrew Dominic John (2016). Towards a Digital Land of Song: A Digital Approach to the Archival Record of Welsh Traditional Music, its Performance and its Reception. PhD thesis The Open University. For guidance on citations see FAQs. c 2016 The Author https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Version: Version of Record Link(s) to article on publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21954/ou.ro.0000ef5e Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. oro.open.ac.uk Towards a digital land of song A digital approach to the archival record of Welsh traditional music, its performance and its reception. Andrew Dominic John Cusworth BA Cantab. MMus Cantab. Supervised by Professor Trevor Herbert Professor Loma Hughes Submitted for examination for the degree of PhD Department of Music Faculty of Arts The Open University in partnership with The National Library of Wales 29 .5.2015 IDPcSaO>£»CY\ ' ,2^1 *Xo f S ' OB’TSr- *> 2.5 Ka XoI Co ProQuest Number: 13834681 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted.
    [Show full text]
  • The Aberystwyth Bibliographical Group Stoker, David
    Aberystwyth University The Aberystwyth Bibliographical Group Stoker, David Published in: Blodeuglwm: ysgrifau I anrhydeddu Lionel Madden/essays in honour of Lionel Madden, Publication date: 2016 Citation for published version (APA): Stoker, D. (2016). The Aberystwyth Bibliographical Group: The first forty-five years. In R. Griffiths (Ed.), Blodeuglwm: ysgrifau I anrhydeddu Lionel Madden/essays in honour of Lionel Madden, : Essays in honour of Lionel Madden (pp. 13-25). Aberystwyth Bibliographical Group. Document License Unclear General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the Aberystwyth Research Portal (the Institutional Repository) are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the Aberystwyth Research Portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the Aberystwyth Research Portal Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. tel: +44 1970 62 2400 email: [email protected] Download date: 25. Sep. 2021 The Aberystwyth Bibliographical Group: the first forty-five years Background The last century and a quarter has seen huge developments in the academic study of the printed and manuscript book and other forms of textual and documentary transmission, largely as a result of those interested in these subjects coming together to form societies with invited speakers.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2016-17
    www.colegcymraeg.ac.uk @ColegCymraeg ANNUAL REPORT 2016 -17 Annual Report 2016/17 3 5 Chair’s Introduction 6 Chief Executive’s Report 10 Reaching our Targets 12 New Academic Plan 15 Highlights of the Year 18 Appendices 1– 8 Annual Report 2016/17 5 Looking back at the sixth year During the year, there were several significant developments. The Coleg is now funded directly since the Coleg Cymraeg was by the Welsh Government, rather than via the established, the report this year Higher Education Funding Council for Wales. highlights a remarkable story The Welsh Government has also influenced the Coleg’s future direction through the work of success. There is an increase undertaken by the Task and Finish Group in the numbers studying through chaired by Delyth Evans. This work was mainly the medium of Welsh at our focused on reviewing the Coleg’s activities, and the report submitted in summer 2017 included higher education institutions, 25 recommendations. The Coleg’s Board and these students are accepted the recommendations, and they also received the approval of Kirsty Williams supported by a committed AM, Cabinet Secretary for Education, in team of first-rate lecturers. December 2017. The secret of this success is the Implementing some of these recommendations unity of purpose of a substantial will further strengthen some of the Coleg’s number of individuals and activities, and with other recommendations institutions, and their desire we will be breaking new ground. One recommendation in the latter category involves to strengthen Welsh-medium the need to develop our work within the post- education.
    [Show full text]
  • Life Begins at Forty
    Aberystwyth University 40 years of library and information studies education in Wales Tedd, Lucy A. Published in: Education for Information Publication date: 2005 Citation for published version (APA): Tedd, L. A. (2005). 40 years of library and information studies education in Wales. Education for Information, 1- 8. http://hdl.handle.net/2160/186 General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the Aberystwyth Research Portal (the Institutional Repository) are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the Aberystwyth Research Portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the Aberystwyth Research Portal Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. tel: +44 1970 62 2400 email: [email protected] Download date: 30. Sep. 2021 Guest Editorial 40 years of Library and Information Studies education in Wales This issue of Education for Information is a ‘special’ one to celebrate 40 years of library and information science education in Aberystwyth, Wales. The setting up of the College of Librarianship Wales (CLW) in 1964 was, for many people, the realisation of a dream. The initial ideas of a “school for library training” can be traced back as far as 1917.
    [Show full text]
  • WHELF Annual Report
    Annual Report 2011-2012 Wales Higher Education Libraries Forum WHELF (Wales Higher Education Libraries Forum) is a collaborative group of all the university and higher education libraries in Wales, together with the National Library of Wales. It is chaired by the Librarian of the National Library of Wales and its members include Directors of Information Services and Heads of Library Services. The purpose of WHELF is to promote library and information services collaboration, to seek cost benefits for consortial services, to encourage the exchange of ideas, to provide a forum for mutual support and to help facilitate new initiatives in library and information service provision. WHELF actively promotes the work of higher education libraries in Wales and provides a focus for the development of new ideas and services. WHELF Libraries Aberystwyth University Bangor University Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff University Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Glyndŵr University National Library of Wales The Open University in Wales Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Swansea Metropolitan University Swansea University University of Glamorgan University of Wales University of Wales, Newport University of Wales Trinity Saint David Cardiff ATRiuM Learning Resources Centre, University of Glamorgan 1 Contents Chair’s Introduction 3 The Year in Brief 4 The Work of WHELF 7 Collaboration and Partnership 8 Widening Access 11 Skills 13 Support for Research 14 Collections 16 Continuing Professional Development 19 WHELF: Business and People 20 Grants and Funding 22 Consultations 23 Representation 24 More Information 26 The photos on the cover and back page are of the Library at the City Campus, University of Wales, Newport.
    [Show full text]
  • The Society's Founding Fellows and Fellows Alphabetical List (18 May
    The Society’s Founding Fellows and Fellows Alphabetical List (18 May 2016) Fellows by Surname A – C .............................................................................. 2 Fellows by Surname D ‐ H .............................................................................. 7 Fellows by Surname H – L ............................................................................ 11 Fellows by Surname M – R ........................................................................... 17 Fellows by Surname S – W ........................................................................... 22 Founding Fellows (deceased) ....................................................................... 28 Elected Fellows (deceased) .......................................................................... 28 2 Fellows by Surname A – C Professor Jane Aaron FEA FLSW (2011) Emerita Professor of English, Department of Humanities, University of South Wales Professor Barbara Adam DScEcon FAcSS FLSW (2013) Emerita Professor of Sociology, Cardiff University and the Schumacher Distinguished Fellow at the Schumacher Institute, Bristol University Professor John Aggleton FMedSci FLSW FRS (2011) Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Cardiff University Professor Rudolf Allemann FRSC FLSW (2013) Distinguished Research Professor and Director of Research, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University Professor Peter Andrew FSB FLSW (2015) Head of Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Leicester; Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis
    [Show full text]